- NEW: At least 40 people are killed in fighting across Syria, the opposition says
- The whereabouts of an American journalist are unknown
- Austin Tice, 31, was last publicly heard from via Twitter on August 11
- A Syrian journalist has been killed by regime forces, Reporters Without Borders says
(CNN) -- The whereabouts of an American freelance journalist who has been working in Syria since May are unknown, a news agency reported.
It is among the key developments Friday in Syria's ongoing conflict:
Report: Whereabouts of American journalist unknown
American freelance journalist Austin Tice, who has been working in Syria, has not been heard from since mid-August, the McClatchy news agency reported Friday.
The news of Tice's disappearance came the same day that nonprofit Reporters Without Borders said a journalist working for the Syrian government was killed by regime forces for allegedly supporting the opposition.
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Mosaab Mohamed Saeed al-Odallah was killed Wednesday during a raid on his home in Damascus, the reporting rights group said.
Al-Odallah is the 10th journalist to be killed in the civil war, Reporters Without Borders said. Journalist Mika Yamamoto died while covering clashes in Aleppo, Syria, the Japanese government said Tuesday.
At least 30 journalists are believed to be detained by the Syrian government, the reporters group said.
Syria has restricted access by international journalists, routinely refusing to issue visas to enter the country. Many who report from inside Syria do so by slipping across the border as was the case with Tice, according to McClatchy's report.
Tice, 31, has been reporting from Syria since May, filing reports for McClatchy, The Washington Post and other news agencies. He documented his experiences in posts on Twitter and through personal pictures he posted at flickr.com, which garnered thousands of followers.
His last public post was on August 11 on Twitter, where he said he spent the day with members of the rebel Free Syria Army at a pool party with music.
"They even brought me whiskey. Hands down, best birthday ever," he wrote.
Tice was believed to have been working in Damascus at the time and was preparing to leave the country, according to reports.
The U.S. State Department is working through the Czech Embassy in Damascus to learn details of Tice's whereabouts, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told McClatchy.
The news agency is asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of Tice to contact Mark Seibel, the McClatchy Washington bureau's chief of correspondents, at mseibel@mcclatchydc.com.
Fighting rages in Syrian capital
Heavy fighting was reported in and around the capital city of Damascus, where Syrian forces have been battling rebels for control, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria.
At least 40 people, including 15 children, were killed in fighting across Syria on Friday, the LCC said. Of those, at least 10 were killed in the Damascus suburb of Daraya, which has been under heavy fire by Syrian forces, the LCC said.
CNN is unable to independently verify reports of violence as Syria has severely limited access to international journalists.
Diplomatic efforts: Syria says it wants to hear from U.N-Arab League envoy
President Bashar al-Assad's government wants to know what potential solutions to end the violence will be put forward by Lakhdar Brahimi, an Algerian diplomat appointed to replace Kofi Annan as the special U.N. and Arab League envoy to Syria.
"We are looking forward to seeing ... what ideas he is giving for potential solutions for the problem here," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad said in a news conference carried on Iran's state-run Press TV.
The deputy minister's comments were an about face for Syria, which only days earlier criticized Brahimi's characterization of the unrest as a civil war.
More than 18,000 people have died in violence that broke out in March 2011 after demonstrators inspired by the success of popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia took to the streets demanding political reform. The movement devolved into an armed conflict following a brutal crackdown by al-Assad's forces.
Brahimi, who was appointed last week, has not publicly outlined the steps he plans to take.
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